FACTSHEETS FOR FARMERS
www.plantwise.org
Created in
Uganda
,
February
2016
Imperata cylindrica
Recognize the problem
Family: Poaceae (grass family)
Common name: spear grass
Luganda
: Lusenke.
Perennial grass with erect habit,
0.6-3
m tall with creeping underground stems; roots
fibrous, up to
1.2
m deep.
Leaves: Stiff, up to
120
cm long and
2
cm wide at base, narrowing to sharp point at
the top; with prominent white midrib.
Inflorescence: Fluffy white, spike-like flowerheads
5-20
cm long,
2.5
cm diameter.
Seeds: Brown, oblong, pointed
1-1,5
mm long, with ring of silky white hairs
10
mm long
around base.
Background
Origin: Asia and East Africa.
Introduction: As forage, ornamental and accidentally as a contaminant.
Habitat: Humid tropical regions, grows in a wide range of habitats and soils types.
Spread: By seeds and rhizomes with wind, animals, machinery, vehicles and as a
contaminant of crop and pasture seed and fodder.
Invades: Crops, plantations, grasslands, degraded and disturbed land, road and railway
embankments, reclaimed mined areas, forests, commonly associated with slash-and-
burn agriculture.
Impacts: The weed causes significant yield reductions in cereals, root crops and
legumes. It effectively competes for water and nutrients in all cropping systems, can
cause rotting of tuber crops from piercing by the rhizomes and inhibits growth of other
plant species, as it has strong allelopathic effects. The weed is an inferior forage crop
due to tough unpalatable leaves with low protein content. Fires stimulate its growth.
Infestations cause changes in farming regimes due to plant competitiveness and
damage to feet of humans and livestock as plants emerge from the soil. Spear grass is
an alternative host for a variety of crop pests. Where infestations occur, farmers
allocate most of their time and labour to weeding the grass.
Scientific name(s)
>
Imperata cylindrica
The recommendations in this factsheet are relevant to
:
All Countries
Authors
:
CABI. Edited by Ronald Kawooya, Patrick Wetala, Herbert Talwana,
James Ogwang
National Agricultural Research Organisation
tel:
+256 775 421 322
email:
kawoox@yahoo.co.uk
Edited by
Plantwise
Plantwise is a global initiative led by CABI
095En
Lose Less, Feed More
Seed heads (whitish plumes) and
flower heads.
(Photo by Colin
Wilson)
Plant base and rhizomes.
(Photo by
James H. Miller, USDA Forest
Service, Bugwood.org)
